Fallujah – Dreamless (2016)

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Continue their evolution into more Progressive and atmospheric territories, today we have Fallujah and their third full-length release “Dreamless”. While the band explores more melodic ideas, their Deathcore nucleus is still intact and will kick your ass in a minute. Searching for the perfect balance between sheer brutality and musical acrobatics, the band delivers twelve solid tracks that show how much they have matured since their 2011 debut release.

Opening with the brutal “Face of Death”, the band commands their attention with perfectly balanced Deathcore-esque growls and ethereal atmospheric elements. Bleeding into the more Progressive and melodic “Adrenaline”, the band nicely transition between styles while showcasing their musical creativity. Our personal favorite is the dreamy “The Void Alone”, which features a superb combination of clean female vocals, intricate drum patterns and pummeling guitar riffs.

As the album progresses, the band continues to experiment with their sound and transitions. Said experimentation leads to the brilliant progressive passages of “Abandon”, as well as the solo showcases of “Scar Queen”. Reminding us of anything crafted by the Tipton brothers, “Dreamless” is a very spellbinding piece that while it changes the flow of the release, it serves as a brilliant example of the band’s creativity and range.

Pummeling through very diverse and engaging tracks like “The Prodigal Son” and “Amber Gaze”, the band does hit a wall of bricks with the trip-hop-ish “Fidelio” and “Les Silences”. While the rest of the songs in this album are quite solid, these two left us scratching our heads.  Luckily, the band closes with the drema-like atmospherics of “Lacuna”, a song filled with brutal riffs, a playful bass guitar line, and pummeling drums.

Overall, Fallujah manages to deliver for the most part a very well-crafted release perfectly balancing brutality, atmosphere, and musicianship. Sounding like Cynic and Obscura had a child, “Dreamless” is one hell of a release filled with brilliant melodic moments that are perfectly contrasted by vicious growls and frenetic tempo changes. If you like both Deathcore and Progressive/Technical Death Metal, this is one album you won’t want to miss in 2016.

Band: Fallujah Album: Dreamless

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release: April 29th, 2016

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Genre: Progressive/Technical Death Metal

Country: USA

Rating: 90/100
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